Pennsylvania Attorney General Kathleen Kane resigns after criminal conviction

Kathleen Kane, once a rising star in Pennsylvania politics, said Tuesday that she will resign as the state’s attorney general after she was found guilty of nine criminal charges, including two felony perjury counts.

“I have been honored to serve the people of Pennsylvania and I wish them health and safety in all their days,” the first-term Democrat said in a statement the afternoon after her conviction.

Kane, who was elected in 2012, was accused of leaking information to the media about a 2009 grand jury probe as a way to get back at Frank Fina, a political rival and former state prosecutor.

Prosecutors said Kane masterminded the leak and a subsequent coverup — and then lied to a grand jury about it.

After hearing days of dramatic testimony, a 12-person jury in Pennsylvania’s Montgomery County agreed with prosecutors, finding Kane guilty Monday of two counts of felony perjury, as well as obstruction, false swearing and other misdemeanor charges.

Kane, 50, faces up to seven years in prison on each of the felony perjury charges. Under state law, she was required to resign by the day of her sentencing.

[How racy emails and a grand jury leak brought down a political rising star] 

 

“It seemed we had somebody who felt she was above the law,” Montgomery County District Attorney Kevin Steele told reporters outside the courtroom after the verdict was delivered. “This was about the defendant going before a grand jury in Montgomery County and lying to that grand jury.

The evidence was overwhelming in that regard.”

Calls for Kane to resign had mounted soon after the verdict was delivered late Monday.

Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf (D) called it a “sad day” for the state and said “there should be no question” Kane should resign immediately, according to PennLive.com.

Assistant District Attorney Michelle Henry joined the chorus of those denouncing Kane’s actions.

“What she did while she was the attorney general, the fact she would commit criminal acts while the top prosecutor, is a disgrace,” Henry said after the verdict.

On Tuesday, after Kane’s announcement, Wolf, the governor, said “her decision to resign is the right one, and will allow the people of Pennsylvania to finally move on from this situation.” (Click to Continue)

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Pennsylvania Attorney General Kathleen Kane resigns after criminal conviction